The Loop

Roberts shoots 65, despite near whiff

November 05, 2011

SAN FRANCISO - We should all feel better. It can happen to the best of them.

For Loren Roberts, whose third-round performance at the Charles Schwab Cup Championship was otherwise a thing of beauty, it took place on the tee of the 473-yard, par-4 sixth hole at TPC Harding Park.

"I've never hit one that bad," Roberts said. "Oh my gosh, I was embarrassed."

This is why.

"I hit a drive that went about 120 yards with a full swing that didn't get to the fairway and didn't hit a tree," he explained. "I hit about eight inches behind it."

The difference between a successful tour pro and the rest of us is that, despite the ugly-bad tee shot and the ensuing bogey, Roberts shrugged it off. "I birdied the next hole. I probably should have hit 3-wood, but I said, 'I've got to his this driver again,'" said Roberts, who made one of his seven birdies on No. 7.

He went on to shoot a six-under 65, moving into fifth place after 54 holes, three strokes behind tournament leader Jay Don Blake. Swing help this week from instructor Jim Suttie and fellow pro Mark Wiebe have given Roberts encouragement that a lean season (for him), could end on a high note and be a springboard into another stellar campaign.

"I finally feel like I'm going in the right direction," said Roberts, who has 12 career wins on the Champions Tour. "I'm looking to finish the year and to get ready for next year. I'm fired up about next year. I'm 56 now. I really want to see if I can make one more run. I just haven't really done much this year at all."

-- Bill Fields